Privilege

Privilege is one of the most misunderstood new concepts there is. I've put forth effort to try and understand the concept and I think I've got a somewhat decent understanding of it. If not, I apologize and will keep trying. Occasionally, I will encounter individuals more conservative than myself who have an objection to the concept of privilege and find myself in the position of trying to explain the concept to them as best I can. Being a conservative myself on about 66.6% of the issues, I am in a unique position when such circumstances arise. A standard liberal is at quite the disadvantage when attempting to convince a conservative, or anyone else skeptical of the concept, that privilege is a thing, let alone an important thing that they ought to bear in mind throughout their lives. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, most people are less likely to seriously consider a point made by an ideological rival. Second of all, since liberals generally are interested in limited individual rights in the interest of making society, business, and life in general more fair, an explanation of privilege coming from them is considerably more likely to be perceived as something of a threat, regardless of whether that is intended message. Without those complications, I have a better shot.

There are two definitions in play and each side in an argument between ideological rivals is using the other one. Obviously, this aspect of mostly unintentional ideological obscurantism is an immensely complicating factor in any sincere attempt to have a productive dialogue on the matter of privilege. Having heard extensive polemic from both ideological sides, I have done my best to come up with a proper of denotations that each side appears to be employing. The ultimate goal of the following definitions is to point out the discrepancy between them to both ideological sides and to try to jumpstart a productive dialogue with the intended terminus of arriving upon a mutually agreed upon connotation.

Definition One: An inherent advantage possessed by an individual or group based upon immutable characteristics of said individual or group.

Definition Two: An inherent advantage possessed by an individual or group that renders any complaints they may have about their lives null and void, means they must always defer to those that do not possess this advantage, and means they do not deserve or have any right to keep any accomplishment or fruits thereof if someone without said privilege needs it.

A lot of paranoia and reactionary thinking goes into definition two. Here's how I explain it to people. First, I list all my major problems. That includes autism, bum ankle, obesity, shortness, baldness, diabetes, crippling outdoor allergies, loneliness, unemployment, a GI tract that's ten miles of bad road, atheism (due to the stigma), and depression. Second, I point out that I am a white rich male. Third, I point out that all the problems I mentioned could easily be held by a poor female of a nonwhite ethnicity/race/whatever you want me to call it. They would be worse off than I am. That's all privilege means, as I understand it, which is that, all things being equal, certain groups and individuals are better off. A white rich man could have chronic pain, PTSD from horrible war experiences, and a lousy marriage to an abusive sociopath. Such a man would be objectively worse off than a black female middle class nurse civilian in good health who is happily married, but objectively better off than someone with his exact problems except nonwhite, poor, and female. Privilege isn't an argument for policy or oppressing those who have it, but a consciousness-raising paradigm meant to educate and promote empathy for those less fortunate on many levels.

-Frank